Heart Disease Problem in Costa Rica, Lack of Exercise, Poor Diets

Costa Rica News – The diets of rice an beans and not getting daily allowances of vitamins and minerals combined with the lack of exercise is leading to a large heart disease problem in Costa Rica.

In Costa Rica, heart disease is the leading cause of death since 1970, and in over 40 years the numbers have not dropped.

Proof of this is that Costa Ricans 4801 died last year of heart problems, according to the Social Security Fund (CCSS), 12 deaths per 100,000 population, this represents 25.5% of the deaths of the country.

In addition, in 2011 there were 20,207 hospitalizations in public medical centers for this cause, and in 2011 the CCSS invested over ¢97,029,000 in caring for these diseases.

Although a minority of people have genetic factors that make the body sick, most deaths are due to what the World Health Organization (WHO) called “enemies of the heart”: smoking, sedentary lifestyle and a diet laden with fat and low in fruits and vegetables.

Moreover, several organizations today held a series of activities as part of the celebrations of World Heart Day.

“There are things we can change and some we cannot. We can not change the age or genetics, but we can prevent heart disease by exercising, increasing consumption of beans, fruits and vegetables, and not smoking, “said Luis Fernando Valerio, president of the Costa Rican Association of Cardiology.

“If you drink alcohol, have no more than two drinks or beers a day and leave a day a week for rest. This is strange to me as it seems most Costa Ricans take off about 5 days a week. People with hypertension or high cholesterol should not stop their treatment even if they feel better, “he added.